Message from the Mayor - Spring 2013

The Opening of the Growers' Market Signals Spring in the Village

It’s hard to believe that winter is over.
The sand hill cranes, the wintering Canada geese, and the bald eagles have all
flown north. Water is once again flowing in the ditches, the fruit trees are
blossoming, and the ducks and geese are paired up, THE WIND IS BLOWING! And it
won’t be long for baby ducks and goslings to line the ditch banks. But probably
the most defining moment of Spring for Los Ranchos is the opening of our
Growers’ Market on the first Saturday in May.

We are extremely
excited this year to celebrate the 21st year of the founding of the
Los Ranchos Growers’ Market.

As predictable as a rooster crowing before
daybreak, our volunteer board, led by Sue Brawley, begins its Saturday mornings
as early as 4 AM to put on a weekly event that is rivaled by very few around
the country. This is the 13th season for this volunteer board
managing the Growers’ Market, and the 21st season since the Los
Ranchos Growers’ Market was begun. It is incredible, but not unexpected, that
our Los Ranchos Growers’ Market is tied for second largest in the state, based
on average number of vendors per market.
The only market larger than ours is in Santa Fe.

The Los Ranchos Growers' Market has an
average of nearly 50 vendors each week.
(This number does not include the arts and crafts vendors.) The Los
Ranchos Growers' Market supports not only the large-scale farmer but also the
small-scale backyard grower. The Market limits the number of reserve
spaces, as well as the number of specialty vendors (processed food products,
meats, cheeses, agriculture related products, etc.) so that they will have
space available weekly for those with seasonal produce who want to come
occasionally.

Our season is one of the longest, from May
through mid-November (28 - 29 weeks). We have over 120 different vendors
participating, with a high of 60+. The arts and crafts vendors range from
20 to 30 vendors per market. The arts and crafts are a separate market,
established years ago when there were (and still are) more artisans than could
be accommodated in a Growers' Market, according to the state guidelines.
At the height of the season, the growers’ market can have over 85
different vendors at a single Saturday Market. Depending upon the year,
between the regular and winter seasons, there are over 30 Saturdays per year
that growers, artisans and local businesses are on display. Since 2003, the Growers’ Market has grown
from approximately 6000 visitors to nearly 30,000 attendees during the season.

Additionally, the Growers’ Market is much
more than just fruits and vegetables. Each week there is a local musician, and
on any given Saturday there will be special events from guest chefs to “ask the
experts”, to specialized events such as Old Vehicle Day, Canine Celebration,
Sustainability/Solar, Costume Day, plus special local business “spotlights”, and
much more.

The Los Ranchos Growers' Market is not only
a people friendly place, but also pet friendly. Pets range from cats and
dogs to parrots and alpacas. Everyone is required to have his or her pet
on a leash. It is definitely a tradition for many people to come to Market with
their pets on a Saturday morning.

The opening day of
this year’s Market is Saturday, May 6th at 7 AM. The Market will operate every
Saturday from 7 AM to 11 AM, May through August, and from 8 AM to 11 AM from
September through mid-November. You can find more information about what is
happening at the Market by going to www.losranchosgrowersmarket.com, www.losranchosnm.gov
or follow us on What’s Happening in Los Ranchos on Facebook.

Once again as I
write my Mayor’s report, I can’t help but think how lucky we are in Los Ranchos
to have Sue Brawley and the entire volunteer board who are so dedicated to
making our Village and the Growers’ Market such a success. A very heartfelt
“thank you” goes out to all the volunteers who help make Los Ranchos such a
special place each Saturday morning.

Come join the fun
of the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market every Saturday from May – November. Abbey
and I look forward to see you at the Market!